Independent outlook /// Anacondas ‘Sub Contra Blues’ [Album] 2013

It’s no secret than an end can indeed become a new beginning. At the start of 2000s Johnny Truant were a leading band on the metal underground scene in the UK. With three albums under their belts, heavy touring and being an influence for a lot of metal bands, Johnny Truant were a force to be reckoned with. It all ended when in 2008 the band split up. But Stuart Hunter (guitar, songwriting) and James Hunter (bass) didn’t want to put up with life without music and four years after Johnny Truant split up, they added Timothy Newman on drums and Anacondas were born. After careful planning and scheming for several years Anacondas strike with their debut album ‘Sub Contra Blues’.

‘Sub Contra Blues’ is a dangerous attack with powers to drag in its firm embrace without any chance of releasing you from this grip. The creep up on you begins slowly with ‘You Set The Moon On Fire’ flowing like thick honey fuelled by raging riffs. The melody establishes itself as very rich and saturated with wizardry of a skilled magician throwing nonchalantly prog, metal, grunge, sludge and shoegaze in one melting pot and then BOOM producing the signature sound of ‘Sub Contra Blues’.

Dirty guitar licks march along the whole record joined by thunderous rhythm section. Viscous, intense melody burns slowly most of the time, but gears up for more speed on ‘Cold Blooded, Warm Hearted’, ‘High Horse’ or ‘The Witches’. Eerie, slightly menacing atmosphere oozes from all the eight tracks comprising the record. The sense of ever-raging storm with thunder and lightning never leaves the music landscape and explodes with numerous eruptions of expressive, sharp melodies and breathtaking, fine-moulded guitar solos. Smashing into your personal space, ‘Sub Contra Blues’ doesn’t hesitate in taking up all of it – the intrusion you’ll, however, very much welcome.

Though the debut album that is, ‘Sub Contra Blues’ is made by very experienced musicians and thus comes the authority of Anacondas’ sound – the one that keeps you alert, grasping every solo, passage or chord progression in awe. This is only the debut and with the news that Anacondas’ sophomore effort is almost ready, things will definitely get darker as the time comes. Prepare yourself.